The Ship of Dreams
by honestsunshine
Summary: Emma and her family have been visiting her grandparents in England for the holidays when it's finally time for them to return home to New York City. Boarding the widely famed RMS Titanic, Emma finds herself filled with feelings of hope and adventure of the journey to come. Little does she know her world is about to be turned upside down by one Killian Jones and the ship, itself.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone! This is my first FanFic I've ever written, so please bear with me if formatting isn't right or any other problems pop up. Please review and let me know what you think! I'd love some feedback, and thank you so much for reading!**

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It was a bright and clear morning in early April- the crisp air fresh off the ocean felt cold to the cheek, but somewhere, there laid a promise of summer soon to come. It had been a long winter in England, and Emma was ready to get back home to New York. At only seventeen, Emma, an already experienced world traveler, was ready to get back to the comfort of home. Winters in London with her grandparents, Leopold and Ava, had always brought her much joy. Sitting around a fire with her younger brother Leo, while her father sat at the old piano and her mother sang to the little birds outside. Her grandparents would always fuss over her and her brother, while a giant roast cooked in the oven, ready just in time for Christmas dinner.

But after a few months, the Christmas excitement had dulled. Emma hadn't many friends in London, and she longed for the freedom that New York always brought. As she stood on the pier with Leo while her parents fussed to make sure all their bags were brought on to the ship, Emma let herself daydream as the wind whipped her golden hair around her head.

The excitement and commotion surrounding the ship had brought a sense of wonder throughout Emma. She picked up Leo and pointed out all the different marvels the ship had to offer. The giant funnels, the hundreds, possibly thousands of windows, not to mention all the fancy men and women dressed to the nines, making their fine ascent aboard the ship. It was a great sight to see, and Emma knew this was an experience of a lifetime. The boat they had taken over to England back in the late autumn months had been nothing compared to the stature of this boat. The RMS Titanic, the Unsinkable ship, in all its splendor and glory, filled Emma with a great feeling of adventures to come.

"Come along, Emma, and make sure you hold Leo's hand tightly," Mary Margaret called out to Emma as soon as she had finished tipping the young boy bringing their bags aboard the ship. Emma watched as her father looked upon her mother lovingly, almost feeling an ache in her chest, as if the depth of the love they shared could never be felt by another pair in the world. Emma smiled as David kissed Mary Margaret on the cheek and helped her walk up to board the grand ship. Emma picked up her brother and followed in her parents footsteps. "Okay, Leo, here we go! Are you ready for a grand adventure back home?" Filled with hope, and without even a glance back, Emma boarded the Ship of Dreams.


	2. Chapter 2

Emma stood aboard the deck of the ship, looking down at the remaining passengers yet to board. Amid all of the passengers that were obviously endowed with great wealth, she noticed groups of people that must have been lower class. She had heard of the lotteries taking place in order to gain passage on the ship, though she had not been sure if they were true or not. A group of gangly boys caught her attention, all joking and laughing loudly. One of them, a dark haired, devilishly handsome one, seemed to be the ring leader, boasting loud tales that she strained to make out over the rest of the commotion surrounding her. But somehow his voice rose up above the crowd and Emma began to laugh at his tale.

"So there I am in this dirty pub, mates. There's a few lasses sittin' about trying to get my attention, but I gotta focus on this game! This is my _chance_ , mates, my one _chance_ to get 'board this ship here. You can't sit there and tell me that any lass is worth losin' my chance to get to the famed New York City! And aboard the Titanic no less? I just wasn't havin' it! As an aspiring ship captain myself, you gotta understand where I'm comin' from! Anyways, so there I am, straight poker face and all, I mean just look at me, nobody could read this face to save his life…"

At this point, Emma was standing up on one of the rails on the side of the ship, trying her best to hear the boy above the racket surrounding her. Completely enthralled with his anecdote, she felt like she had to know more about him, his story, and maybe where she could find him. It was clear he had won his ticket in some sort of shady poker game, but the way he was telling his tale was so captivating she couldn't tear her eyes away. Emma leaned forward just a slight bit more, straining her ears, but the next thing she knew, her feet had slipped out from under her. With a desperate scream escaping her lips, Emma found herself clinging to the railing above her, with half her body hanging off the ship. Her eyes flew to the boy on the dock, and found his glued to hers as well. She watched his eyes scan the crowd in front of him, realizing it was completely blocking any route to get to her.

The next thing Emma knew, a pair of hands was around her waist, pulling her back up onto the ship. With her feet firmly planted on the deck, and her trembling hands still gripping the railing in front of her, Emma turned her head to find a pair of familiar brown eyes meeting hers. There was a laughter behind his look and a sloppy grin upon his face as he started, "Geez, Ems, I guess you're trying to get this trip off to an exciting start?" Emma's mouth fell open in a wide gape, as no words would escape her lips. "Surprised to see me? I thought you knew I was in London with my father, attending to some family business. I've written you loads of times by now, Ems…." Emma finally found some sense of composure and took a step back from the railing. "Neal…I just…I didn't expect to see you here. Especially not hoisting me up after nearly falling off a ship such as this," Emma said as calmly as she could.

Neal's grin widened, "A pleasant surprise I hope? Especially given that I've just saved your life…" Emma smiled courteously at him, "Yes, of course," and leaned in to lightly kiss his cheek. "I don't recall you mentioning in your letters that you'd be taking this ship back to New York though," Emma said as nonchalantly as she could, meanwhile trying to look past Neal back to the dock, and the boy she had been so intently focused on just a few minutes ago. "My father was able to acquire them not too long ago. Made some kind of deal with a wealthy noble he does business with and we figured we might as well travel in style. You know that's his gig." Neal snapped his fingers in Emma's face as he realized she wasn't paying attention to him at all. "You know, Emma, you could have written me back sometime over the last six months. I know things ended strangely before you left, but I've just been waiting to hear from you. I was actually hoping I would run into you while we were over here…"

Emma sighed and gave up her search for the boy on the dock, as there were just too many people in the way and he must have gone on to board the ship. Emma turned back to Neal and tried her best to hide the pain behind her eyes, as the memories sprung forward. "I'm sorry, Neal. I just didn't know what to say to you. Not after everything that happened…" Emma trailed off, thinking back to the summer before she and her parents had left for England.


	3. Chapter 3

_In their small town, just under two hours north of New York City, Emma and Neal wandered around town. No schoolwork to be responsible for and no jobs requiring them to be accountable yet, Emma and Neal strolled around the town, enjoying their freedom. Each of them sheltered in their lives of wealth, they sought adventures in their small town that their parents allowed, given that they knew each other's families, and were generally thought of as responsible young adults._

 _Emma and Neal strolled down the sidewalk, stopping in for ice cream at the local ice cream parlor "Any Given Sundae" and then continued on. Their small town was surrounded by woods and mountains, full of stories and adventures from their childhoods. The forests were a place of refuge for Emma and Neal, a place they called their own. They had grown up as acquaintances and shared many tales of adventures playing in the woods as younger children. As they had grown older and become closer, Emma and Neal found the woods to be a place to wander the streams together, lay in the fields, and share some of their first intimate moments._

 _This continued on throughout the summer, a routine of sorts. Each day Emma and Neal would meet up after lunch and decide what adventure to pursue that day. Some days they would just get ice cream and sit and talk the afternoon away. Other days they would venture into the forest and find trails and wildlife to examine. But then, there were days were days where they explored more than the forest…_

 _As the summer neared to a close, and the evenings started to approach sooner, Emma felt a distance begin to grow between herself and Neal. No longer was he able to go out with her every day. Oftentimes, his excuses seemed legitimate, but Emma knew when she was being lied to. Thinking that maybe Neal was pulling back since he knew she was about to leave in a few months to spend time with her family, Emma tried to rationalize her hurt feelings to herself. But as the days went on, and she heard less and less from him, Emma began to feel that something else was going on entirely._

 _On the last day of summer, with the breeze warm on her face, Emma set out into the woods to enjoy the warm weather before she escaped to the cold and gloom that London weather had to offer. Following one of the more well-known paths she and Neal had often traveled, Emma felt the tears fall slowly. She continued on, letting herself wallow in her confused heartache. Suddenly, rumbling just beyond some bushes that blocked the large wild flower field she had come to know so well, Emma heard voices. Rather, one familiar voice and one that she could only assume to be…another girl._

 _Emma crouched down behind the bushes and peeked her head through the branches, careful not to step on any twigs or get her dress stuck on a thorn. And there, in the middle of the field, where she had just laid not long before, was Neal and another girl. A small gasp escaped her lips, and she threw her hand up to cover her mouth. She watched as Neal slowly placed kisses along the girl's jawline, and tears sprang into her eyes with a fuller force than earlier. Holding back a sob, Emma slowly crept away from the bushes and ran back through the woods, stumbling over unseen roots and branches on the path. She ran and ran until she couldn't breathe anymore, and collapsed in a heap at the edge of town. Leaning her back against a tree trunk, she let out sob after sob, not believing her worst fears about Neal were true._

 _Emma sat for a while and collected herself, wiping the tears from her face and the dirt and muck from her dress. She stayed to the outskirts of town as she made her way home, unwilling to chance running into anyone she knew and have them see her with eyes red and tear stains down her cheeks. As soon as Emma arrived home, she ran up past her brother and his nanny and locked herself in her room. Immediately she began packing her bags for her trip to England, never having felt so glad for such an easy escape route from the pain and humiliation she felt._

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"Ems, you never even gave me a chance to explain. I didn't even get to say goodbye to you before you left!" Neal's voice broke her out of her trance of memories, and Emma's head snapped up with a look of malice in her eyes. "You didn't have any right to say anything to me, let alone goodbye," Emma whispered menacingly at him. "I saw you in the woods with that girl. I'm not a fool, I know what you were doing." Neal's face sunk as realization set in, "So that's why you haven't spoken to me…I had suspected but I wasn't sure. Look, Emma…you have to understand. We're only seventeen, nearly eighteen. I just…I wasn't ready. Not for that. I'm a kid, I can't just be that serious with one person and never see what else is out there."

Fury raged in Emma's gut, as the words stung her to the core. On an impulse reaction, without thinking about it in the slightest, Emma's hand whipped back and she slapped Neal square across the face. A few women passing by them let out gasps of surprise and shot disdainful looks in their direction as the sound of the slap reverberated around them. Emma's voice was low as she directed to him, "Don't you ever speak to me again." She turned on her heel and began to stride away with her chin held high when her eyes met his. The dark haired boy she had been watching on the dock earlier had clearly just watched the entire altercation, as he leaned back against the railing with a smug smirk on his face. Emma felt her face flush a deep red as he gave her a wink as she passed by. And even though she was embarrassed beyond belief, she couldn't help but feel a slow grin spread across her face. Even though one chapter of her life had come to a close with Neal, she had a surprisingly strong feeling that another one was about to start with this strange boy.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi, everyone. Sorry it's taken me so long to post the next chapter. I hope to update more frequently from now on! Just adding some family time here...we'll get Emma and Killian together soon, I promise!**

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Emma hurried off, navigating her way around the final groups of people boarding the ship, to find her family and her accommodations for the coming weeks. Although Emma had told her parents she had simply wanted to look around the ship before coming to the room, she knew they would be worried about her. Emma hurried down the stairs, looking down to gather her skirt in her hands so she wouldn't trip. Not a moment later, Emma smacked right into another girl coming up the stairs, who let out a yelp as she grabbed onto the railing before she fell completely backwards.

"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry," Emma exclaimed, as she held out her hand to help the girl straighten herself up. "It's alright, no harm done!" The girl smiled a bright smile at Emma as she took her hand and straightened her skirts out. "I'm Ruby, by the way," the girl stated, indicating behind her. "I'm travelling with my Granny. I was so desperate to get a few moments to myself that I was just flying up the stairs. I didn't even see you." Emma smiled back, "I know what that's like. My parents can be a bit overbearing at times as well. It's nice to meet you, Ruby. I'm Emma."

Emma looked behind Ruby and noticed a line of people starting to build up, waiting to ascend the stairs behind her. "Well, we better keep moving. It appears as if we're holding up traffic." Ruby nodded and began to climb the stairs again, "You're right. It was nice to meet you too, Emma. Maybe I'll see you around?" Emma grinned and bumped her shoulder into Ruby's as she passed, "I'll be sure to bump into you again." Ruby laughed, and the two continued on their opposite ways.

Finding the room quite easily, Emma unlocked the door to the suite her parents were in and called out to them, "Mom? Dad? I'm here!" She heard rustling from one of the side rooms, and soon her mother appeared, looking a bit frazzled. "Emma, dear, we were worried about you. I told you not to be gone too long!" Emma tried to hide her eye roll, knowing her mother all too well. "I'm sorry, Mom, I didn't mean to worry you. I was just looking around a bit. You know all we've been hearing about is how marvelous this ship is. I thought I might as well see it for myself."

Mary Margaret smiled kindly at Emma, "I know, dear. Sometimes I just worry that your adventurous spirit might get you into a little _too_ much trouble." At that moment, David appeared from the room Mary Margaret had come from, holding Leo in his arms. "Also, Emma, we wanted to talk to you before you got around to exploring too much. There's something we wanted to let you know," David let out, a slight look of concern darkening his face.

Emma sighed, looking from her mother's face to her father's, already knowing what they were about to say. David handed Leo over to Mary Margaret and took Emma's arm gently, leading her over to a floral embroidered chaise lounge. "Emma…We had heard some rumors. Rumors that-" Emma cut him off, "That Neal and his father would be on the ship? Yes, I know," Emma said, exasperatedly, looking down at the fabric and running her fingers along the lines of the flowers. "How did you know?" Mary Margaret questioned, sitting down with Leo next to Emma. Emma sighed, "Because I've already seen him. We ran into each other on deck." The sullen look on Emma's face told David and Mary Margaret everything they needed to know.

"Emma, honey, we're so sorry. We would have told you before now. I know that we don't know what happened back in New York over the summer, but we thought that boy had something to do with it. If you want to talk about it…" Mary Margaret's voice trailed off. Emma looked up into her mother's eyes and forced a small smile on her face. She took her mother's hand into her own as she began, "Thank you. I know you both mean well. But this is nothing I want to talk about. Not now. Probably not ever. So let's just leave it as everything is fine and move on." Emma watched her parents exchange concerned glances, but pretended not to notice. "I'm okay, really," Emma muttered under her breath. And at that, Mary Margaret threw her arms around Emma, enveloping her in a hug that crushed Leo between them.

"Mamma, lemme out!" Leo shrieked from between them. Emma and Mary Margaret pulled apart, laughing as Leo scrambled to get down from between them. David walked over and placed his hand on Emma's shoulder as he leaned down to plant a kiss on top of her head. "We love you, Emma." Emma smiled up at him, a genuine smile this time. "I love all of you too. Even if you do drive me crazy sometimes." David chuckled as he walked over to some of the luggage that still sat in the main room.

"Well, you do know you're having dinner with us tonight in the dining room tonight, right? You may go and explore a bit more this afternoon, if you wish. But make sure you're on time for dinner." Emma stood and walked over to where David stood, wrapping him in a hug. "Thank you, Dad. I'll be sure to be back and ready in time." Emma moved away to find her room and sort through her clothes to pick out a dinner dress. Yet her mind began to wander to ways she might be able to run into that devilishly handsome stranger from earlier.


	5. Chapter 5

Emma made her way back up to the deck of the ship, desperate to see the ship depart from the dock. After one final stern reminder from her father to be back in time for dinner, Emma hurried down the corridor to the stairway. Many of the other passengers were still settling into their rooms, so it wasn't quite as crowded as earlier. Emma was grateful once she emerged from below, the feeling of the sea breeze hitting her face and whipping her hair behind her.

Deftly navigating her way between the passengers on deck, Emma managed to make it closer and closer to the edge of the ship. Tons of people were standing on the railings above the crowds, waving goodbye to their loved ones, and the pasts they would soon be leaving behind. Emma scanned the railings for a place where she might be able to get a leg up and get her last glimpse of land before the ship set sail. After a moment her eyes landed on a head of unruly dark hair that somehow looked familiar to her. A second later, with a turn of the head, a flash of blue eyes that must have matched the ocean beneath them, caught her gaze. With a lopsided grin, the boy held up his hand, motioning her over.

Emma took a deep breath, as she felt her insides begin to tighten with anticipation. The boy from the dock, who watched her slip off the rails earlier like an idiot, and saw her confrontation with Neal, was now clearly calling her over to him. _"You can do this, Emma. Just walk. One foot in front of the other…it's not that hard. Just go!"_ Emma chastised herself, willing her feet to move. Picking up her long skirt in one hand, Emma tried as gently as she could to squeeze herself between the people around her to make it over to the boy. She made it closer and closer, at the last moment almost tripping over the foot of a man next to her. She looked down to catch her balance, and all of a sudden a hand from slightly up above grasped her elbow to steady her.

Looking up with a deep blush on her face, for what appeared to be way too many times in one day, Emma gasped as she looked clearly into the boy's face. Although up close, it was hard to call him a boy. She could tell that he was about her age, though he had strong features that made him quite breathtaking. Nearly face to face, she realized his eyes were not just blue, as the sea, but many shades of blue and green all mixed together. She had never seen anything like it before, cerulean and turquoise all mixed into one, with flecks of emerald here and there that became apparent as the sunlight hit his face. His hair was disheveled, not quite black, and she could see the almost reddish hue that lie in the scruff on his face. His distinct chin and tanned cheeks were covered with stubble, but not enough to be considered a beard, by any means. His grip was firm but gentle on her arm, and he smiled a bright look down at her.

"Do you need a hand, love? Wouldn't want ya to fall off the boat mere minutes before we set sail, eh?" He winked at her as he removed his hand from her arm and held it out to offer her help up onto the railing. Emma continued to stare, not quite sure how to respond, unsure if he was insulting her for slipping earlier, or if he was being genuine in his intent to help. He smiled at her, sensing the skepticism from the look on her face. "Come on now, I see that look in your eye. Try something new, darling. It's called trust."

Emma smirked at his last line, not fully knowing what she was getting herself into. She grasped onto his outstretched hand and let him pull her up onto the railing. Looking down, the ship was beginning to be untethered from the dock, the ramps that had formerly led up to the ship now dismantled. The people she had seen milling about the docks earlier were now all turned to the ship, many with tears streaming down their faces, hands outstretched and waving their final goodbyes. People from all sides around her mirrored the same image, handkerchiefs blotting at rogue tears falling down into the ocean below, calling their final parting goodbyes to those left behind. Although the calls around her were loud in her ears, she heard the boy next to her quite clearly, breaking her out of her reverie. "The name's Killian. Killian Jones. And who might be the lady I have the pleasure of meeting today, aboard this fine ship?"

She turned her body so that they were face to face and tried to ignore how close their bodies were pressed together. "Emma. I'm Emma Swan," she managed to gasp out, not sure if he heard her or not. "Swan…I like it. Got a nice ring to it." He smirked again and turned his head out to the Atlantic in front of them. "You ready for the voyage of your life, Swan? Though I gather you've been on a ship before?" Emma nodded at him and held tight to the railing. "I'm from New York, but my grandparents live here. Are you leaving home now?" she asked, noting the accent in his voice. Killian nodded, "Aye, nothing left for me here. Thought I might as well start anew in a strange, foreign land."

With a start, the ship began to pull away from the dock. Emma tensed for a moment, then felt Killian's arm slide behind her back, as his hand met the railing on the other side of her waist. "Can't have you almost fall off again, love," he said above the roaring cheers of the crowd. Emma felt a leap in her heart, as his arm pressed into her back, trying to calm herself down. _"Emma, you've just met him. Relax…"_ But as the boat began to soar away towards the vast ocean expanse that lay before them, Emma could not suppress the wide smile on her face, as her hair and skirts were pulled back behind her with the roar of the wind.

As she looked over, Emma saw the same look of glee on Killian's face. She studied his features further, and he turned to look at her, a gleam in his eye filled with a sense of adventure that she knew well. They held each other gaze, not saying anything, not wanting to break whatever this feeling was between them. It was in that moment that Emma felt the tug in her heart, knowing that there was something special about him…and she had the strange sense that he felt it too. Even after all her time with Neal, she had never had someone look at her like this before. The next moment, as the cheers around them died down, both Emma and Killian looked down to find that their hands had become intertwined where they rested on the railing. At the realization, Emma began to pull back, only to have Killian wrap his fingers more firmly around hers. "If I must say, I do believe we're about to begin a grand adventure, Swan."


End file.
